Things ended badly for Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, and that included Cristiano Ronaldo not standing the sight of the Portuguese manager by the time it was all over. However, in a recent interview given by the ‘special one,’ there aren’t that many hard feelings left between the two.
Talking to the France Football, Mourinho didn’t have anything bad to say about Ronaldo, instead saying that Coaching him was the highlight of my career. He’s the most professional player I’ve ever met. A coach and player may have their differences at a given time, but it ends there. I don’t have any problem. Cristiano Ronaldo is out of this world.
There were plenty of rumors about the relationship between the two souring late last season, as Real Madrid’s year wasn’t going anywhere. Ronaldo not wanting to take any orders or even listen to Mourinho and an alleged incident of the two nearly coming to blows in the dressing room also surfaced. However, it hasn’t changed Mourinho’s mind about Ronaldo being a special player, or maybe it’s just some time apart that’s helped him remember only the good stuff.
For three years, Mourinho was the number one cheerleader in the Ronaldo pep squad when it came to him winning the Ballon d’Or. Three times it failed, and this year Ronaldo might not even show up, taking a page from Mourinho’s book due to Sepp Blatter making those comments that have insulted him. Blatter is going to talk to Ronaldo in order to personally apologize, but the situation is different this year, and with Lionel Messi missing so many games over the last six-seven months, while Ronaldo is on an insane run of scoring, he might have good reason to hop on a plane and go to the awards ceremony.
Franck Ribery seems to be the favorite to win, maybe because Ronaldo and Messi are so similar (although Ronaldo has scored more goals in 2013 than Messi), and Ribery represents the alternative choice, awards team excellence and not just individual. However, Messi has won in the past regardless of what he has or hasn’t achieved, so there’s hope for Ronaldo yet, although Zlatan Ibrahimovic should also be considered among the candidates, especially if Sweden knock out Portugal in the World Cup playoffs.